Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On that, Scouting Ireland will tell us that it has a team of professional staff who have listened and engaged and it would have notified Tusla to that effect. Personally, as one member of the committee, I take in good faith that a process is under way in respect of the historical cases, notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Elliott, who has a strong track record on this, is also involved in that process and has good form in respect of Cloyne and other issues. I take that in good faith and I am satisfied with that.

I refer to the 18 February letter from Tusla to Scouting Ireland. The explosive line in that letter relates to the overnights. Did Tusla have any sense of the hurt and shock that it would cause when that letter went into the public domain in respect of the thousands of volunteers and parents who have gone through Garda vetting and child protection training and would see themselves as being protective and compliant in every way?

Did Tusla have any sense of the sheer hurt and the magnitude of that statement, as well as of the potential effect of closing down an organisation in one fell swoop? One of the main modus operandiof scouting is that children experience overnight camping. The letter was devastating to the thousands of innocent and decent people who give hours of their time to Scouting Ireland, who are dedicated to this lifestyle, and do so for the common good and the purpose of bringing benefit to society. Does Tusla feel any regret for including that in its letter of 18 February?